Welcome to the Mr. Local History Project
“A 501c3 Non-Profit Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Jersey History with a Social Twist”
The Mr. Local History Project brings New Jersey’s past into the present through the stories of real places, real people, and real communities. Focused on New Jersey history, the project celebrates local history in a way that feels personal, engaging, and relevant, not locked away in textbooks, but alive in the places we live. As we head into 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, Mr. Local History is turning history into a shared experience. With a social twist, this is about connecting online and in the community, sharing memories, spotlighting hometown stories, and honoring New Jersey’s outsized role in America’s founding. It is history you can explore, share, and be part of together.
Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
It’s Horror History Time in Central New Jersey – Join the fun with our annual look at some local Jersey horror stories.
Latest Posts
Jersey Oktoberfest: One Memory and One Today
Views: 183 New Jersey is such a great place to live, especially when it comes to celebrating our incredible mix of cultures and traditions! Just look at October. We’ve got the Italians celebrating their heritage, the Germans breaking out the…
Annie’s Deli: 40 Years of Sandwiches, Local Legends, and….
Views: 1,042 Annie’s Deli in Pluckemin (Bedminster), New Jersey, has been making sandwiches for 40 Years, and… a Final Goodbye is coming soon. Where else could you order a Dr. Jazz, a Junk Yard Dog, a Tooth Fairy, or a…
Greetings From Historic Union. You Know, The Union County One
Views: 266 Let’s get this out of the way first. Union. Union Township. Township of Union. Call it what you like around town, but officially, we’re talking about the Township of Union in Union County, New Jersey. Got it? Good.…
1960s Drag Racing for Pink Slips on Route 22 in Union, New Jersey
Views: 382 Long before organized drag strips and sanctioned race nights, Route 22 in Union had its own unofficial drag strip. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the action could begin almost spontaneously. Two drivers hanging out at the…
America’s Mr. Shuffleboard is a Jersey Guy – Meet Union’s Sol Lifkin
Views: 263Isn’t it interesting how history becomes history? Take pay phones, for example. When you were using them, you never thought about it, and then they’re gone- not just gone… totally gone. Then you see them 20 years later on…
Did George Washington Really Sleep Here? It’s Time to Come Clean & Show the Marker
Views: 512For generations, inns, houses, taverns, towns, and historic sites have proudly claimed that “George Washington Slept Here.” Some can prove it. Some can show Washington was there, but not that he spent the night. Others rely on stories repeated…
The History of New Jersey Candy and Our Jersey Candy Hall of Fame
Views: 644At the Mr. Local History Project, our motto is “Jersey history with a social twist,” and few things bring people together faster than talking about their favorite candy. And with Halloween just around the corner, wouldn’t it be great…
Local Horror Tales and Ghost Stories Special Edition Magazine
Views: 25,296Urban Legends, Ghosts, Murder, Nuns gone insane, the Devil and other horror stories we’ve dug up from Central New Jersey’s past. May be urban legends, but they’re OUR stories! When the leaves start turning and the nights get cooler,…
Looking Back: 1983 America’s Cup Trophy Room and the New York Yacht Club’s Hole in the Floor
Views: 776This story is a personal account, shaped by growing up with a father who was a member of the New York Yacht Club and by experiencing the America’s Cup firsthand in Newport, Rhode Island, in both 1980 and 1983.…
Eyewitness Account of the 1776 Capture of General Charles Lee at Widow White’s Tavern
Views: 526Preface to James Wilkinson’s Account of General Charles Lee’s Capture The following account comes from General James Wilkinson’s Memoirs of My Own Times, published in 1816, and provides a remarkable first-person description of the events surrounding the capture of…
Dr. Robert Finley, Founder of Basking Ridge’s Brick Academy, American Colonization Society, and Liberia Africa
Views: 12,571In the News:What could the West African nation of Liberia possibly have to do with Basking Ridge, New Jersey? Liberia has recently returned to American headlines after agreeing to accept certain people deported from the United States who are…
Our Fall 2026 Magazine is HERE!
Full of great local Jersey History to keep you on the edge of your history seat.
Special Edition – America’s 250th The SEMI-QUIN-CENTENNIAL is HERE!
See our special digital magazine. Full of great local Jersey History.